Azeez Al-Shaair has made a habit of testing the NFL’s uniform rules. Months after drawing a Fine for writing “Stop the Genocide” on his eye black during the playoffs, the Texans linebacker was fined again, this time $11,941, for a different message. His latest tribute honored Hind Rajab, and it came with an unexpected twist. Kyrie Irving stepped in and offered to cover the cost himself, and Al-Shaair opened up about the gesture.
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“We’ve talked multiple times, especially in the last week,” Azeez Al-Shaair said. “And, you know, a lot of that stuff is just, him supporting me, me supporting him, having each other’s backs. I think the biggest thing is me and him align on the cause, which is humanity. “
“We both care about humanity, regardless of skin color, race, anything like that. That’s what I think, more than anything, when it comes to me and him, that we align on, just not being afraid to do that.”
Kyrie Irving is stepping up for a fellow athlete who’s been catching heat for speaking his mind. The Mavericks guard offered to pay the $11,941 fine the NFL slapped on Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, simply posting on X, “I’ll take care of his fine.”
Al-Shaair was fined for writing the name of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian child, on his eye black during the Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills. The league penalized Al-Shaair for writing a personal message on display without getting it cleared first. That’s a violation of the NFL’s uniform and equipment rules.
This isn’t Al-Shaair’s first run-in with league officials over this. Back in January, he was fined $11,593 for a similar reason, writing “stop the genocide” on his eye black. He’s leaned on the NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” program in past seasons too, using it to spotlight Palestinian causes.
“If my platform can bring even a little hope to families in Palestine, then that is what I want to use it for,” he said in a statement last season.
Irving’s gesture fits a pattern for him. He’s spoken about Palestinian children before. In a February livestream, he put it simply:
“Kids or innocent people dying, I really care. That’s in my heart. I can’t see it. I can’t avoid it.”
“I’m always going to be characterized as somebody that’s siding with a side,” he added. “… It’s OK to care about humanity.”
Two athletes, two very different sports, sharing the same cause.